DA to boost food stocks amid ‘super El Niño’

MANILA, Philippines —   The Department of Agriculture (DA) is stocking up on food and farm inputs, expanding storage capacity, and deploying targeted interventions in areas expected to be hardest hit by the “super El Niño.”

The agency is ramping up preparations for an anticipated very strong El Niño, drawing on lessons from the last drought to protect farm production, secure food supplies and cushion farmers and fisherfolk from its impact.

“We are now more prepared,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said, noting the DA has already made advance purchases of key commodities, including rice, as well as fertilizer and other agricultural inputs.

The government has provided the DA an additional P6.2 billion for fuel subsidies and other assistance to help farmers, fisherfolk and truckers of agricultural products cope with the higher fuel costs triggered by the conflict in the Middle East as well as the initial effects of El Niño later this year.

El Niño is expected to last until the first half of 2027.

The DA is shifting to foliar and soil ameliorants, including bio-based, non-urea products, while tailoring interventions to local conditions.

Tiu Laurel stressed that El Niño does not mean all areas will be dry, with some places potentially receiving excess water.

The agency plans to increase fertilizer application and seed intensity in areas where conditions warrant, but Tiu Laurel said the DA is preparing for the worst.

“At the end of the day, we are looking at the worst-case scenario, so we expect that overall production will still be lower,” he said.

Weather-related shocks this year, including El Niño, are expected to impact fishery, livestock, and crops as well as shave off around 700,000 metric tons of the projected palay output during the main harvest in the second half of the year.

The DA is also building a bigger food buffer.

Tiu Laurel said the National Food Authority now has 365 active warehouses, up from around 300, after renting an additional 165 facilities. The expanded storage network, including silos and other warehouses, is expected to help the country ride out potential supply disruptions.

New cold storage facilities are being opened to increase the country’s capacity to extend shelf life of meat and vegetables.

Cloud seeding has also begun in drought-hit areas, including Isabela and Negros. Tiu Laurel said the DA would deploy the measure when cloud formations have enough moisture to generate rain.

On irrigation, Tiu Laurel said the DA continues to coordinate with the Office of the President, which oversees the program.

The official cited one positive development: recent heavy monsoon rains have replenished major dams, giving irrigated areas a potentially adequate water supply for the next planting season.

He added that fuller reservoirs, after weeks of incessant rains, provide some breathing room, but the lessons from the last El Niño have made clear that preparation must come well before the drought peaks.

388,375 affected

In its latest situational report as of Oct. 2 , the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said El Niño has affected 388,375 people in four regions; as well as 11 provinces, 51 cities and municipalities and 893 barangays.

Region 13 (Caraga) has the highest number of affected people at 291,381 in 140 barangays, followed by Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) at 47,587 from 714 barangays and Region 4A (Calabarzon) with 191 persons affected.

In Region 5 (Bicol),  49,216 people in 39 barangays are affected.

The estimated cost of damage to agriculture is at P5,469,783,534.84, which has affected 199,857 farmers and fisherfolk, 221,933.72 hectares of crops and P35,328,770 worth of damage to livestock, poultry and fisheries.

The government has provided  P39,058,681.06 worth of assistance to those affected in Regions 2, 5, and Caraga.

El Niño roadmap

Meanwhile, Sen. Erwin Tulfo called for an urgent, fully funded national roadmap to cushion the impact of the “super El Niño,” warning that the government cannot afford to wait before addressing potential water shortages, livelihood losses, and spiking food prices.

Citing data from the DA showing P6.87 billion in agricultural damage affecting 223,214 farmers as of Sept. 26, the chairman of the Senate committee on social justice, welfare and rural development stressed the need to shift from reactive disaster response to early intervention.

“Let us not wait for our fields to turn to ash, our taps to run dry, and our people to collapse from the heat before we scramble for solutions. We have the science. We have the warnings. It is time to stop managing disasters after they happen, and start executing a decisive, proactive survival strategy,” Tulfo said.

While acknowledging the administration’s El Niño Task Force, the lawmaker urged authorities to look beyond farm irrigation and farmer assistance to prevent broader economic paralysis.

“A task force must be more than a coordinating body. It must have a clear plan, clear responsibilities, and, most importantly, the resources to act before the crisis paralyzes our communities,” he added.

Tulfo raised the matter on the Senate floor, where it was referred to the chamber’s ad hoc committee on reinvigorating investment and sustainable economic growth, a special panel tasked with tackling the country’s economic slowdown and rising living costs. –  Pia Lee-Brago, Neil Jayson Servallos